Family Lies
by NerdBurga
Summary: Someone breaks into NCIS and tries to get away with important documents. Gibbs catches the intruder, but it is soon discovered that she has some kind of connection to Agent DiNozzo, and she could bring out a secret he's been hiding for years... On hiatus for now, so sorry
1. Chapter 1

**Having finished my SPN/NCIS crossover, I finally got the chance to begin this story, which I've been wanting to do for a while. I hope this interests you, please let me know what you think and I always welcome advice and suggestions. Thanks :)**

**I'm still not sure if we actually have to state that we don't own the show or anything... It seems it would be assumed... My plot though ;)**

Leroy Jethro Gibbs leaned his head against his hand, attempting to read the statement in front of him through bleary eyes and the artificial light coming from his desk lamp. Not bothering to check his watch, he guessed it was about 1 in the morning, with pitch black sky visible through the windows and the floor he was working on eerily quiet. Gibbs looked up and around the empty bullpen, taking a brake from the paperwork. The rest of his team had left for the night hours ago, albeit slightly hesitantly. Tony had asked his boss if he wanted to join them for drinks, but Gibbs had waved them on. It was easier to do the paperwork in the calmness of the night, without so many calls coming in or so many arguments breaking out in front of the plasma. Too often did his life remind him of a school principle or overwhelmed parent.

Special Agent Gibbs stifled a yawn and stood up, deciding he could finish it tomorrow. Well, later today anyway. He heard a few joints pop as he stretched and turned off the desk lamp. He had begun to head for the elevator, coat over one arm and gun safely in his holster, when the alarm went off.

The relaxed silence, rare enough as it was, was immediately shattered by blaring sirens. Gibbs looked around in surprise. Someone was breaking into NCIS headquarters. The tiredness was immediately wiped from Gibbs' eyes as he sprung into action, dropping the coat and running for the stairs instead.

The ear-piercing wailing continued as he jumped the last few steps and pushed through the fire escape to the parking area on the ground floor. Gibbs could hear faint yelling as security guards searched each floor of the building, trying to catch the perpetrator. Seemed they were looking in the wrong place, however.

A silhouetted figure could be seen at the opposite end of parking, sprinting for the exit. Gibbs immediately began running after the intruder, pulling out his gun as he did so.

"Stop! NCIS!" he yelled. The person paused and looked back for a moment, as if making a snap decision, before facing forward and heading once more for the exit. Gibbs sped up and heard more yelling as a few security guards spilled out of the building, immediately running towards Gibbs and the person hidden by shadows ahead of him. The figure jumped the fence, just reaching the top, and begun to desperately pull themselves up. But Gibbs was faster then you'd expect. He reached for an ankle, just before it was right out of reach, and pulled the intruder back down roughly. There was a high pitched yell and the person, the woman Gibbs could now see, fell back. Gibbs caught her and dropped her to her feet, immediately pulling one of her hands behind her back and holding his gun up to the woman with his other hand. The young girl, probably about 25, whimpered at the sight of the gun, trembling. So, not a professional it seemed.

"I said… stop," muttered Gibbs as he tried to catch his breath.

* * *

Gibbs leaned against the wall of interrogation, pulling out his phone and flipping it open, then closed, then repeated the motion. It read 2:30am. The woman flinched at each sound he made. She looked pale and scared. But still, she remained silent, as she had for the last hour. Gibbs sighed. He had been hoping to get a few hours of sleep tonight. He walked back over to the table and sat down opposite the intruder, studying her openly. He could see her try not to wither under his gaze.

Her hair was a rich chocolate brown colour, long and wild now that her bobby pins had been taken away. She was dressed in skinny black jeans, a black hooded jumper and black leather boots. She had a slight figure, small curves but tall and thin, and she had tanned skin that had dropped a few shades since being brought into custody. She had deep green eyes that struck Gibbs as oddly familiar.

"So," he said quietly, though she still jumped slightly. "You going to tell me why you broke into a federal building?" She looked down at her sweaty hands clenched together and bit her lip remaining silent. "No? Ok," Gibbs nodded slightly and opened up a thick manilla folder on the desk. "You want to tell me why you tried to steal this?" The girl kept her silence but her eyes continuously looked back at the files she had been caught with, as if she couldn't resist. Gibbs watched her, his eyes narrowed. This was important. He looked back down at the folder and turned it toward him, pretending to read it. Truth is, he didn't need to - he practically knew this thing off by heart. Hell, Gibbs had written half of the stuff in here. The girl watched Gibbs study the folder. He looked back at her.

"This is important to you isn't it?" He laughed slightly, a small laugh that he often used when casually interrogating criminals. "Hell, it would have to be. You're obviously no professional, so you were taking a big risk breaking into NCIS for this. I'm impressed you made it as far as you did without setting off the alarm. So," he lowered the folder and looked straight at the woman, suddenly completely serious and, to the young woman, full on scary. "Why did you try stealing Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo's personnel file?

* * *

Tony DiNozzo walked to his desk with a bounce in his step and a grin on his face.

"Oohhh," said Ziva, standing up from where she had been leaning over McGee's desk and talking to him quietly. "Someone got lucky last night, yes?"

"Now Ziva, you know how I hate to kiss and tell," replied Tony with a wink.

Tim scoffed. "You love to kiss and tell. You don't even need to do the kissing part, you just tell. Constantly."

Tony glared at his partner. "Come on, probie, you love my stories." Ziva walked over to Tony's desk and put her hands on the edge, looking at Tony as he sat down.

"You are late, you know," she said, looking him up and down.

"Yeah, well Gibbs can smack me on the head as much as he wants." Tony's smile widened. "It was worth it."

"You didn't hear, did you?" asked McGee, amused.

"Hear what, probie?" asked Tony exasperatedly.

"We had a break in last night," Ziva replied. "Gibbs caught the intruder at some insane hour in the morning. He interrogated her for hours but she still hasn't…" She clicked her fingers, trying to find the right word.

"Cracked?" Tony supplied smugly.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, pointing at him. "Exactly. I believe Gibbs is grabbing another coffee right now. He seemed… frustrated."

"That's a bit of an understatement," said McGee. "He was totally wound up. Hardly looked at us on the way out. And," he looked to DiNozzo with a satisfied smirk, "he was real PO'd when you weren't here." Tony shrunk slightly in his chair, his lecherous smile wavering.

"Yes, he was, wasn't he?" recalled Ziva happily. "Demanded to know why you weren't here, asked us to call you in right away."

"So why didn't you?" aksed Tony in a panicked voice, pulling out his phone. He grimaced. "I had it turned off while I was with Monica last night." Ziva's eyes widened.

"You're not back together with her are you? Isn't she the one that egged your car?"

Tony looked irritated. "That was Pam."

"Monica was the married one, wasn't she?" supplied Tim.

"Not her either, ok?" said Tony, frustrated. "Different Monica." He got a far away look in his eyes and the smile crept back. "Very different." The other two agents smirked, Ziva walking back to her own desk. Tony shook his head, breaking out of his reverie. "So do we know why someone broke into our most beloved base?"

Tim grimaced. "Not sure, Gibbs wasn't really in a talking mood. Vance had him in his office a little while ago about it, and he's just been doing his creepy thing ever since." Tim gestured behind him slightly with a nod of his head. Tony spun around on his chair to see Vance leaning on the rails upstairs outside MTAC. The director looked serious, his eyebrows knitted together in a thin line. Tony watched as Vance shifted slightly to look down at him. As he looked at Agent DiNozzo his frown deepened. Tony shivered slightly and looked away.

"That's not creepy at all," muttered Tony.

A familiar 'ding' was heard and the team looked over as one to see Gibbs leaving the elevator, a fresh cup of coffee in his hand. Their silver haired leader stopped by DiNozzo's desk. But instead of getting angry or even head-slapping Tony as expected, a few lines faded from his face as if he was… relieved?

"Where have you been DiNozzo?"

"Ah, sorry boss," said Tony nervously. "Sort of lost track of time, and ah…"

"Keep your phone switched on next time," Gibbs ordered before heading to his desk. He sat down and rubbed his face tiredly.

"I take it things are not going too floatingly?" asked Ziva.

"I think you mean swimmingly," said McGee. Ziva just rolled her eyes. Gibbs remained silent, sipping from his coffee and scrutinising Tony, much the same way as Vance had done.

"There something in my teeth?" asked Tony nervously. He patted down his hair in case there was any sticking up.

Gibbs suddenly stood up again, having made some kind of decision apparently, and started to walk away. "With me," he called over his shoulder, and his agents immediately stood up to follow him.

"What the hell's going on today?" asked Tony under his breath.

Little did he know, the day was only going to get weirder.

**So, interested? I'll update soon :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm not real happy with this chapter, so sorry if it's not as good quality as you were hoping. I welcome all honest opinions, so any feedback would be great, thanks. Don't get used to me updating so fast though, today was a quiet day for me and I don't get many of those. I'll try not to fall behind though :) I've already gotten a surprisingly strong response to this story, so thanks to everyone for that.**

Gibbs turned to face his team as the elevator doors opened, looking confused. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Well - you - you said for us to follow you, didn't you boss?" said McGee uncertainly.

"No," he waved his hand back in the direction of the bullpen. "Just DiNozzo." Ziva and McGee both looked at Tony in surprise, then at each other. Ziva nodded her head slightly and they both walked away.

"Am I in trouble boss?" asked Tony warily.

"Well, that depends DiNozzo," replied Gibbs as he stepped into the elevator, Tony following suit.

Ziva and McGee watched the elevator doors closed. "You think it has to do with the break in?" asked McGee.

"I do not see how Tony would be involved," replied Ziva, but she didn't sound totally certain. After all, it was all Gibbs had been focusing on that morning. "And even if it did, why would he not involve us?" McGee shrugged, having no answer. Ziva paced back and forth.

"Don't turn this into something bigger then it is, Ziva. I'm sure it's nothing."

Ziva grimaced and crossed her arms. "My instincts are usually right McGee."

"Yeah, you're instincts are paranoid."

Ziva looked over at McGee, exasperated, and went back to pacing.

As this was going on Tony and Gibbs were exiting the elevator on a lower floor and walking with purpose towards observation. Gibbs led the way, opening the door and gesturing for Tony to enter first. Tony looked to his boss questioningly before inclining his head and walking into the small, dark room. The young woman was still sitting in interrogation, shifting uncomfortably. Gibbs followed his agent in, watching Tony instead of the intruder. Tony looked through the glass as she sniffed and wiped her eye.

"This the one that broke in boss?"

"Yeah," said Gibbs, still watching him. "You know her?"

Tony looked back at Gibbs, confused. "Should I?"

Gibbs nodded back at the woman. "Just, take a good look." Tony grimaced and went back to studying her. "She hasn't even told me her name, yet," said Gibbs matter-of-factly. He glanced to her, then went back to studying Tony. At first the senior agent's face remained blank, but after a moment there was a glimmer of something else - a twitch in Tony's face. As the two men studied their targets in silence, Tony's face contorted slightly. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped minutely, shock and sudden recognition shining through his features. Gibbs watched this curiously, before finally breaking the quiet. "DiNozzo, do you know her?"

Tony flinched as if just remembering he wasn't alone and looked back at Gibbs. He glanced back at the girl, then back at Gibbs, closing his mouth. Turning away slightly and looking to the floor, Tony finally answered with a quiet "No, sorry. No idea who she is." Gibbs' eyes narrowed and he took a step closer to his agent.

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah," said Tony, only looking at his boss for a second before looking away again. "So she's the one that broke in?" he asked again, his voice much less casual then before. Even when talking about her, Tony refused to look back through the glass, his eyes darting everywhere else around the room. He was nervous.

"Mhm, that's the one," replied Gibbs, continuing to watch Tony closely. Tony lying to Jethro was never a good sign. It didn't happen often, but when it did, it always left the ex-marine worried.

"So, uh… So why did you think I would know her boss?" asked Tony in a would-be relaxed tone. He was obviously slowly recovering from whatever shock he'd just gone through and focusing on his mannerisms more, and the way he spoke. DiNozzo was obviously determined to keep something a secret.

"Your personnel file," replied Gibbs. "She was pretty good for an amateur crook, almost made it out of the building without getting caught. Yet all she took for her troubles was information on you." Gibbs waited for some smart ass comment or maybe a suggestion she was an ex-girlfriend of his, but nothing came. Tony just rubbed the side of his chin with his hand distractedly, finally looking back at the girl. "You sure you don't recognise her?"

At that Tony finally looked back at Gibbs, his face hard, like he had just snapped. In a serious, determined voice he stated "No. I don't know that woman." With that he stepped around his boss and walked out of the room, rubbing the back of his head as he went. Gibbs stood there a moment longer, absorbing this very uncharacteristic reaction. His gut churned as he turned and followed Tony out of the room, just in time to see his arm disappear around the corner. There was one thought going through Gibbs' head as he walked back to the elevator and punched the 'down' button.

_What is DiNozzo hiding?_ The special agent seemed scared from the woman being revealed to him, and determined to stay in denial. Oh yeah, he knew her alright. And it worried Gibbs - no, it scared him - that Tony was lying to his face.

The elevator was humming quietly, making its decent, as Gibbs pulled out his phone and dialled McGee's number.

"Yeah boss?" Tim answered on the second ring.

"You and Ziva, meet me in Abby's lab," said Gibbs, promptly hanging up.

* * *

The music was blaring loud as ever as McGee and Ziva entered their forensic scientist's domain.

"Hey guys!" said Abby happily. Gibbs looked back at them in greeting before returning his focus to the big TV. A picture of a pretty girl with wavy brown hair and familiar green eyes was shown on screen as part of a driver's license.

"Is this the person that broke in?" asked McGee.

"Yep," answered Abby. "Miranda Wyatt, 26. She's a hairdresser. No previous charges, no record at all."

"Not really the criminal type," commented McGee.

"Where is Tony?" asked Ziva, looking around.

"Not here," Gibbs answered immediately without looking at them. Abby looked back at the others, biting her lip, and shrugged her shoulders. Ziva's eyebrows raised but she stayed silent.

"So do we know what she was looking for?" asked McGee.

"Yup. She almost got away with it too," said Gibbs. "I just can't figure out why." This was said quieter, to himself. Abby pulled a folder off of her desk, looking worried. She walked over to the younger agents and showed them.

"Tony's files?" Ziva said with surprise.

"Boss, why would she want information on Tony?" said McGee, studying the loose sheets. Gibbs turned, looking annoyed.

"Well I dunno, McGee, that's why we're investigating it." Tim nodded, looking uncomfortable, and went back to studying the files on his friend.

"Is that why you took Tony earlier? To see if he knew her?" guessed Ziva.

"Yeah," Gibbs nodded with a frustrated sigh.

"Let me guess," smirked Tim, "an ex-girlfriend?"

Gibbs went back to scrutinising the driver's license blown up on the screen, his eyes narrowed. "Tony claims he doesn't know her."

"But you don't believe him," accused Abby with sudden realization, walking up to her mentor. "You think he's hiding something!" Abby stepped right up to Gibbs, facing the side of him with barely any room between them. She glared at him, watching him closely. "Gibbs, should I be worried?"

Gibbs looked sideways at the Goth. "Aw, Abby, you're always worried," he said.

"I'll take that as a yes," she sighed, turning back to her computer. "Ok, so here's what I have on Ms Wyatt. She's been doing hairdressing ever since she was in school. It started as a part time job and after she finished college she took it up full time. She's been to five different schools since she was ten years old. She had a mother, who died last year, and from what I can tell, she only moved to Washington about 6 months ago. She has an apartment with a co-signed lease. The other name is Derek Matheson," Abby brought up another license, depicting a man about Miranda's age with light stubble and a tattoo of a star on his neck. "He _does _have a record, a few car thefts and one count of breaking and entering. He was killed about a month ago." Abby maximised a picture of a death certificate. "He was stabbed in one of the outer suburb areas, practically on the opposite side of the city from where he lived."

"Cops know who killed him?" asked Gibbs.

"They think it was gang related, but they haven't found any hard evidence yet," replied Abby, looking over at Jethro with a look of curious disappointment.

"Sounds like the last few years have been rough for her," said McGee. He looked to Abby. "You got all this information really quickly, Abs."

She grinned. "There was promise of a Caf-Pow."

"Yep, buy one on me Abs," said Gibbs absentmindedly, focusing on the photos.

"I don't understand why this would have anything to do with Tony," said Ziva irritably.

"Well, I haven't found a connection yet," admitted Abby, "but that's not the only problem." She began showing various credit card statements and phone bills, along with Miranda's graduation certificate, and a photo of her at her mother's funeral. "I can't find anything about Miranda Wyatt before the age of 10. It's like she didn't exist until then. I have found absolutely zero records of her as a young kid."

"Nothing, Abs?" asked Gibbs urgently. She shook her head, looking annoyed.

"Nothing." Her face suddenly turned scared. "You're not going to take my Caf-Pow away for that are you?" Her face went from worried to angry. "You're _not_, right?" A finger came up accusingly in Gibbs' face with Abby scrunching up her eyes in an attempt to be intimidating.

Gibbs couldn't help the small smile that crept to his lips, amused at his scientist's behaviour. "Nah, Abby, you've done good." He kissed her on the cheek and headed for the door, his two agents close on his heel.

"I'll keep looking," Abby called after them. She paused, contemplating as they left. "I'm just gunna go get that Caf-Pow first," she added happily, rushing out of the room.

**I'm hoping to improve next chapter xD Tony's secret will be revealed soon enough ;) What do you think his connection with the girl is? Let me know!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I should have mentioned this earlier, but this story is quite angsty, and shines a rather dark light on Tony's childhood. So if that's not your thing, you may want to stop reading. Also, I can't apologise enough for how long it took me to update this. I've had the worst writer's block, and overcoming that while writing three completely different stories is hard, to say the least.**

**Kudos to the people who figured out who the girl is, by the way!**

Ziva stood up from picking the lock to Miranda Wyatt's apartment, McGee standing close by in the narrow hallway of the third floor. Gibbs wanted to know why she had tried to get away with Tony's files, and if the woman herself wasn't talking, they'd let her home do it for her. The two agents entered quietly, keeping a hand on their guns, just in case. It was a modest place, the kitchen an extension of the living room, with a bedroom and adjoining bathroom off to the side. McGee immediately began inspect the living room as Ziva stepped into the bedroom, checking the bathroom as she went.

"Clear," she called before searching a wooden dresser. There was a mix of men's and women's clothing, all jumbled together. After searching thoroughly through there and finding nothing, Ziva turned to the bedside table. There was a picture in an intricately carved wooden frame, of Miranda and Derek. They looked happy, Derek holding Miranda in his arms, them both smiling at the camera.

Tim was searching beneath the couch cushions, finding nothing but loose change that Tony would have insisted on pocketing as 'evidence' when Ziva called out.

"McGee," came her voice from the bedroom, "you may want to see this." He straightened up and walked to over to his partner. She was holding up a folder, much like the one Miranda had tried to take, that she had found under the pillow. "It's a private investigator's file," she explained as Tim opened it up, "on Tony."

"What is her fascination in him?" asked McGee. This just kept getting weirder. He studied the scrawled notes. There wasn't much information, just a picture, a name, where he worked and a few little details about places he'd been and people he'd been talking to.

"It is slightly creepy," admitted Ziva. "He would be with Gibbs now, yes?" Tim understood what she was really asking - he's safe at the moment, right?

"I dunno, I think Gibbs was looking for him when we left."

"Then we should finish up quickly and get back to NCIS."

Back at NCIS Gibbs was angry. He was majorly PO'd. At himself, at Tony, at Miranda Wyatt, at the whole damn case. Nothing was making sense, things were getting serious and Tony had gone and freakin' disappeared. Still waiting for Ziva and McGee to finish up at Ms Wyatt's apartment, Gibbs rubbed his eyes tiredly, glanced over at Tony's empty desk and stood up suddenly. Irritated, he turned and marched away from the bullpen.

Entering Abby's lab Gibbs began his usual "What've you got Abs?" but stopped short at the sight of the man staring at the big screen. He hadn't even turned at Gibbs' arrival.

"Where the hell have you been DiNozzo?" Tony glanced at his boss for a split second before going back to staring at the plasma, where Miranda's license photo was still displayed on screen.

"Sorry Boss. Went for coffee." Gibbs glanced at Tony's arms folded across his chest, no coffee visible, before looking to Abby. She was standing on the other side of the room, leaning against her fridge. She looked back at Gibbs, concern all over her face. She seemed to have been there for a while, as if scared of coming closer to Tony and breaking his concentration. Gibbs pointed one finger silently at her and gestured for her to follow him, which she did into the hall. Abby closed the door behind them.

"He's been like that for 20 minutes Gibbs," said Abby worriedly. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet, not in her usual caffeine-high way but in her agitated I-don't-know-what-to-do way. "He's just been staring at her picture. He wouldn't talk to me at all. He knows her, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, he knows something," muttered Gibbs, looking past Abby to the closed door. It was at that moment his phone rang. Abby looked back to her lab hesitantly, not sure whether or not she should go back in, as Gibbs answered impatiently, "yeah."

"Hey Boss, we're on our way back," crackled McGee's voice through the phone. "But we found a private investigator's file on Tony. There wasn't much there, but it at least explains how she knew where he worked. You uh… You might want to keep an eye on him Boss."

"Do ya think, McGee?" Gibbs hardly bothered to keep his temper in check. The anger in his gut began to boil, trying to compete with the concern continuing to grow.

"So I guess she broke into NCIS to get more info on him?" estimated McGee. "Maybe the PI couldn't get enough. What I still don't get is why."

"Get your ass back here so we can figure it out," said Gibbs exasperatedly before hanging up. Abby looked back at him questioningly but he offered no answers, more focused on getting some of his own. Opening the door, not bothering to be stealthy at all, Gibbs nodded towards Tony. "Hey," he said, grabbing the agent's attention. "With me. Now." He ignored the expected grimace and walked back to the elevator, Tony just behind him. Abby waved sympathetically to Tony before walking back into her haven.

They were standing next to each other in the lift when Gibbs leaned forward and flicked the switch, bringing the elevator to a grinding halt. Gibbs turned to his senior agent, the sudden darkness not hiding Tony's nervous expression. Tony stood facing his boss, his face set, refusing to back down.

"Talk. Now," demanded Gibbs.

"Well sure, Boss, what about?" asked Tony. He was deflecting, attempting to sound carefree and annoyed all at the same time. "You know, I saw this great movie the other night, a 50's classic - " Tony received a headslap, slightly harder then usual.

"Tony…" said Gibbs warningly. Tony's nonchalance was not fooling him. DiNozzo was scared.

Tony glared at Gibbs for a minute, but was unable to keep his mask up. Finally he turned and looked away, stubbing the ground with his shining leather shoes like a kid caught breaking a window with a ball.

"Who is she, DiNozzo?" asked Gibbs, slightly gentler. He watched Tony carefully, trying to hide his ever growing concern.

"I don't - "

"Say I don't know one more time, Tony. Just try it."

Tony rubbed the back of his head with a hand, agitated. "I'm not supposed to know," he finally muttered, sounding the same as how he was acting - a young kid in trouble. He was feeling vulnerable, but Gibbs just couldn't figure out why.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" he asked instead.

"It means I'm not allowed," Tony said uncertainly, finally facing Gibbs. "I can't - I can't talk about her. I shouldn't acknowledge her." By this point Tony's hand had moved from the back of his head to his cheek, rubbing it absentmindedly. "She's not supposed to exist."

Gibbs was downright scared now. He didn't understand what Tony was talking about or why he was acting this way, but he hadn't seen his agent acting this strange since he'd been dating Jeanne undercover for Director Shepard - and look how well that turned out. Tony began shuffling his feet, unable to stay still, his eyes flicking around the small space as if searching for an escape.

"Hey, Tony," Gibbs grabbed DiNozzo by the shoulder, resting his hand just at the base of Tony's neck comfortingly. He drew Tony's stark green eyes back to his blue ones and suddenly he knew - he knew who the girl was. "It's ok. Tell me, DiNozzo."

Tony looked lost as he stared back at his boss, the man he'd looked up to for almost a decade.

"She's my sister," he finally admitted, and Gibbs could feel the tremor rush through Tony's body as he made the confession.

**The next chapter will be longer, seriously :) It will be quite angsty, methinks, so just a heads up. I hope this was alright - like I said, still getting over my writer's block. Anyways, I'll update sooner this time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow! I already have over 100 followers on this story! No pressure or anything :P Thanks so much for everyone's reviews and all, they are so fun to read. Remember, constructive criticism always welcomed.**

**And all is revealed!**

_"Calm down Susan, you're blowing this out of proportion!"_

_"Oh really? I'm overreacting, is that it?"_

_12 year old Anthony DiNozzo crept to the top of the grandiose steps in his father's large estate house, rubbing his eyes sleepily. It was the fourth time that week he'd been woken to the sound of his father and step mother fighting. It had been three years since they'd rushed into marriage, and one since they'd stopped lowering their voices when arguing. They no longer tried to hide the disputes from the young boy. Amidst the yelling was the wailing of a small girl. Tony's half sister, Nadine, was holding her mother's hand tightly. Being only three years old, the same age as DiNozzo Senior and Susan's marriage suspiciously enough, she couldn't understand what was going on. The anger emanating from her parents confused and scared her. Without a word, Tony padded down the steps. The adults barely glanced at Tony even after he grabbed Nadine's free hand. He pulled her gently away from them, squeezing her hand reassuringly. Nadine stopped crying almost immediately, looking to her big brother for reassurance. The two kids ran back up the stairs and to Tony's room, where he immediately pulled out an old, worn deck of cards._

_Within 10 minutes Nadine's tears had dried and she was squealing happily every time she won at Snap. She barely understood the game, but Tony was a good teacher, and even let her win occasionally. The yelling continued and occasionally got loud enough to distract the siblings from the game. But Tony would always draw his baby sister's attention back to playing Snap. He had begun to truly resent his dad and step mom for always fighting, and even more for always making Nadine cry. She may only be half related to him, and nine years younger, but he loved her - she was an ally, someone who knew what he was going through and how it felt. So they'd already formed a strong bond, and Tony was determined to make it easier on her than it was on him. They played for half an hour, until Tony's digital clock glowed '2:30am'. That was when Nadine won for the eighth time. She looked up to Tony, smiling happily. But Tony was distracted, hence the easy win._

_Silence drifted eerily through the house. Tony watched the open doorway to his room suspiciously. He held out his little hand, again silently, and Nadine automatically reached for it. Tony pulled her over to his side and continued to watch the doorway. Soon footsteps could be heard, quick and angry up the stairs. Tony's hand tightened on Nadine's and she looked from him to the doorway uncertainly. Susan appeared just outside Tony's room, tears streaking down her face._

_"Come on, Nadine," she said, her voice wavering, holding out her hand like Tony had moments before. Nadine looked back at Tony for guidance. The young boy hesitated before nodding to her, loosening his grip slightly. They must have given up on the arguing for the night. This was how it had happened for the past few months; Tony would keep Nadine in his room until they grew too tired, then Susan would come and take Nadine to tuck her in to bed. Tony would put himself back to bed and wouldn't see his dad again until the next morning. Then everyone would act like nothing had happened. Tonight was just another one of those nights._

_Except it wasn't._

_Nadine walked over to her mother and Susan picked the small girl up, holding her protectively. Susan looked to Tony with a small smile._

_"Thankyou for looking after her, Anthony," said Susan before turning and walking back to the stairs. Tony narrowed his eyes, his young mind whirring. Something was off. Susan never said anything to Tony when taking Nadine back to bed. She barely acknowledged him. Except tonight. And why were they heading towards the stairs? Nadine's room was on the second floor, on the opposite side of the house from Tony's._

_After a moment's thought the little DiNozzo followed the mother and daughter, quietly creeping behind them. Susan trotted quickly down the stairs, holding tightly onto her daughter. Anthony Senior was standing by the main door, his features marred with anger and resentment. Two suitcases sat next to him. Susan walked with purpose over to him. She glared at the man before picking up the suitcases, both in one hand, and turning to the door. Anthony Senior glared back at her as he opened the door for them. Nadine looked over Susan's shoulder to Tony, who was again standing at the top of the stairs. She looked confused, but tired. Tony was feeling the same._

_"Dad?" he asked quietly, letting his voice carry down to them. "What's going on?"_

_Senior looked up the stairs to his son, the anger barely fading. "Go back to bed, Junior," he said warningly._

_"Where are Susan and Nadine going?"_

_Susan didn't look back as she walked out the front door, still holding Nadine and the suitcases. "We're leaving, Anthony," she called back to him._

_Tony's eyes widened, as did Nadine's. Despite their age, they could both sense the tension in the air, and even little Nadine knew that leaving at this time of night after so much yelling was not a good sign._

_"Leaving where?" asked Tony nervously._

_"Us, Junior. They're leaving us." said Senior, turning his glare back to Susan._

_Nadine began to struggle in her mother's arms. "Don't wanna go!" she yelled unhappily. "Wanna stay with Tony!"_

_"Hush, darling, it's ok," cooed Susan, but Nadine was having none of it._

_"No!" she wailed, beginning to cry. Tony began to feel angry. He had worked so hard to make her stop crying. "Tony!" she called to him. Tony ran down the stairs._

_"Don't take her away!" he pleaded to Susan. "Please, don't leave!"_

_"Be quiet Anthony!" admonished Senior, holding his son back. Suddenly the front door was closed and Susan and Nadine were out of sight. But Tony could still hear her crying all the way down their long driveway, calling out for her brother._

_"Nadine! Nadine!" he yelled back, praying she could here him._

_"I said be quiet!" shouted Senior, shaking Tony violently. Tony ignored him and continued to call out to his sister, his closest friend. Senior jerked Tony away from the door and grabbed his shoulders, crouching to get right into Tony's vision. "Listen to me Anthony!" Tony quieted slightly, looking up at his dad accusatorily with tears in his eyes. "Susan and Nadine are gone. You hear me? They aren't coming back!"_

_"But - "_

_"No! They are no longer part of our lives!" Senior glared at his son. "They no longer exist!"_

_Tony tried again. "But - "_

_He was cut off with a sharp slap against his cheek. Tony looked at his father wide eyed, rubbing his cheek._

_"No, Tony. I don't want to hear any more about this. You understand?" Senior looked guilty for hitting his son, especially as a red imprint began to show. "No more." Tony sniffed and looked away, nodding slightly. "Go back to bed, ok son?" Tony nodded again and walked away, sulking._

_For the next few weeks Tony continued to bring up Nadine, asking where she was, when he could see her. But every time Senior would yell at him, getting so angry it scared Tony. He would shake Tony, his face red with anger, telling him they weren't in their lives, they didn't exist. Even as lawyers began to buzz around the house, organising divorce papers and custody hearings, Tony was not allowed to bring them up or even acknowledge they were alive. Senior only hit Tony one more time, and bought him a new baseball afterwards. But eventually Tony learnt not to mention Nadine. Photos of the family together were destroyed._

_After a few years Tony learnt how messy the separation had been. Senior had been angry and jealous, yelling at Susan for looking at other men. Susan became indignant and angry in her own right, bringing up his player ways. Eventually she became sick of his obsessive ways and he became sick of her full stop. He ended up not being able to stand hearing her name. And if Tony reminded him of their existence, he got the full force of Senior's resentment. Tony was only hit those two times, but his father was so scary each time it convinced him more then extra violence would have._

_They do not exist._

_Tony repeated this mantra to himself over his teen years until it became automatic and unnecessary._

"I barely ever slip up anymore," muttered Adult Tony to Gibbs, his mind returning from the past to the dark elevator and his Boss. "If I bring them up… If I mention Nadine… I have to stop myself, before it gets worse."

_"I feel like I just kissed my sister."_

_"I thought you didn't have a sister."_

_"I don't - fantasizing."_

"Because if I mention her, if I acknowledge she exists…" Tony shifted on his feet anxiously, looking to a random corner of the elevator. Gibbs watched him, silently processing this information, trying to hide the shock from his face.

_"It could be because you remind me of my sister."_

_"You said you were an only child."_

_"I am…"_

Tony grimaced and rubbed his cheek again, unable to look at Gibbs, unable to make eye contact. He hadn't talked this much about Nadine since she'd been pulled from his life and a small part of him kept expecting to get that slap across the face, to look at Gibbs, his mentor, and see his furious father instead. The more he talked, the more anxious he became, and the smaller the elevator seemed to get.

_"I've been hit harder by my sister."_

_"You don't have a sister."_

_"I don't?"_

Yes, Tony had slipped up a few times in his adult life. But he always covered it up, made it a joke, hidden his sudden fear with more charming smiles. But it always hurt. His sister, whom he had loved, was not a joke, was not a mistake, and he hated treating her like one. Seeing her today, having grown so much, with a different name, had punched great big holes in his wall of defence and denial. She had become a woman, and he'd missed it, barely recognised her. His own sister.

"Suddenly, Nadine's a different person, and she's here, she's - " Tony was barely still now, desperate to get out of the confined space. "She's suddenly in my life and that's - that's not allowed. I - " Tony cut off abruptly, his breathing quickening.

"Hey, Tony, it's alright." Gibbs bit down on the anger and protectiveness that flared in him when Tony flinched from Gibbs' hand. He rested the hand on DiNozzo's shoulder, squeezing gently, using his other hand to turn the elevator back on; Tony couldn't stay in here much longer. "Look at me, Tony." Tony continued to avoid his gaze, continued to shuffle his feet. "DiNozzo. Look. At. Me." Gibbs brought his other hand to Tony's cheek, the one that he hadn't been rubbing. He steered Tony's face so that he had to look at Gibbs. The pain in those green eyes wounded Gibbs. His anger at DiNozzo Senior grew, but again he pushed it down. The last thing Tony needed to see right now was anger. "It's ok, Tony. It's ok to have her in your life. Your father's not going to do anything to change that, not this time." Tony stared at Gibbs disbelievingly. The elevator dinged open and Gibbs pulled Tony out into the wider space of evidence lockup, which had been the first button Gibbs had pressed after turning the lift back on. A few people from Forensics were working there but didn't pay too much attention to the two men who stepped out. Gibbs continued to keep a hand on Tony's shoulder, grounding him.

"She obviously wants to be in your life, Tony. And that's ok. Hey," Gibbs ducked to keep in Tony's vision as he looked away again. "It's alright. You don't have to block her out, not any more."

Tony continued to look wary, but he raised his head. "I don't know, Boss…"

"This is a second chance, Tony. Use it," said Gibbs determinedly. There were still so many complications, so many questions, and he knew this reunion would not be easy on anyone. But right now, his main priority was calming Tony and making him alright. He had to help Tony, as he always had. That was all he cared about - the rest of the problems could wait their damned turn. "This is another chance to see your sister."

Tony shook his head and turned away, walking back to the waiting lift. But as Gibbs followed, the alarm bells quieted slightly and his gut churned that tiniest bit less. Tony was calmer, he was breathing almost normally, and he was standing a little bit straighter. Tony still didn't believe Gibbs, but Jethro had seen the small, uncertain flicker of a smile on Tony's face when he told him it was another chance. Tony had already minutely relaxed, but better then that:

He'd allowed himself to hope.

**So what did you think? Sorry if it was a bit confusing. This story isn't near over, but this was probably one of the biggest parts - explaining Tony's secret and Gibbs's reaction to it. I can now explain where I got my idea from, now that most of it is out in the open. I just kept noticing all Tony's jokes about a sister through the episodes, some early on and then some to his girlfriend of season 4, Jeanne. I used those quotes in this chapter. They just got me to thinking, what if there was more behind it then Tony was letting on? And this was the result I came up with. There's more to go with this story though, so I'll try to update soon :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yup! A real update!**

**...It's pretty bad. Certainly not my best work. You've got to let me ease back into this :P But seriously, if anyone's still actually reading this, you have my sincere thanks, I'm glad you're still enjoying it. And I intend to make the hiatus up to you with much more regular updates... Yeah...**

"Are you going to let her go?"

Gibbs looked at Tony as the elevator doors opened onto their main floor. Tony avoided his gaze as he awaited the answer.

"It's a federal building she broke into," started Gibbs as they stepped out and walked towards the empty bullpen. "But it's her first offence. I'll talk to Vance." Tony nodded. "But you're going to have to talk to her Tony." Tony's head snapped back to look at his boss. "There's a reason she broke into NCIS to find out more information on you, and there's a reason she hired a PI to follow you." Tony's eyebrows raised; that was new to him. Gibbs looked him up and down. "Your sister's been happy to leave you alone all these years and suddenly she's willing to break the law to find you? Something's going on, and you need to find out what."

DiNozzo knew he was right. But all of this was so new to him. He'd spent so much time forcing himself to not even acknowledge Nadine's - no, Miranda's? - existence. Now he suddenly needed to have a full on conversation with her? The whole idea made him feel a bit light headed.

Luckily he was saved having to answer by the arrival of Ziva and McGee.

"Hey, Tony," McGee called to him. "We were starting to worry about where you'd gone to." Tony just sat down at his desk and fidgeted with a pen.

"Have we figured out the mystery of who this girl is yet?" asked Ziva, attempting not to stare at her partner's strange behaviour. Gibbs looked at Tony, who looked back at him, and tilted his head slightly. He would let DiNozzo take the lead on this one.

Tony understood the gesture and sighed. He didn't know what to do. Ziva and McGee watched this exchange with confusion.

"So… is that a yes?" asked Tim.

"Yeah, we figured it out," said Tony irritably, throwing the pen back into the cup he used as a pen holder. Ziva looked questioningly from him to Gibbs, uncertain about whether or not it was safe to ask. Without looking up, finally Tony stated in a monotone voice "she's my sister."

Any other time Tony would have smirked at the way the other agents' eyes bugged out of their heads and their mouths comically dropped.

"Y - you're..?"

"My sister, McGee. My baby sister." Tony's eyes were dark as he ranted. "My sister, whom I loved, and who I was punished for whenever I thought of even considering her, despite the fact she's my sister." Tony went back to rubbing his cheek absently and Gibbs bristled slightly. He and DiNozzo Senior were going to have such a talking later…

"I do not understand," admitted Ziva after a moment.

"Yeah, well, neither did I when I was twelve and I was told I could never speak of my little sister ever again. The difference between then and now is, you're not going to get hit for asking where she is."

McGee's eyes got, if possible, wider, but Ziva's narrowed. "You're father?" she asked simply.

"Who else," said Tony with a grimace. He was feeling very awkward about this whole situation and avoided everyone's eyes.

"Wow, Tony," said McGee sympathetically. "I would never - "

"Yeah well, that was the point Tim," sighed Tony. "Look, I've just got to…" He didn't bother to finish thinking up an excuse as he stood and turned the corner, leaving the bullpen. No one stopped him or called him out on it. Ziva turned to Gibbs, anger lacing her pretty face.

"Gibbs, what is going on?"

Gibbs looked back at his agent, keeping his unfazed exterior in place. "Anthony Senior doesn't take separation well," he replied. "And Tony had to pay the price for it."

"Tony's dad continues to surprise me," murmured McGee unhappily. They were all worried about their senior field agent and shell shocked by the news, leaving them all to feel at a bit of a loss at what to do.

"So… what is going to happen to Miranda now?" Ziva finally asked. "Has Tony spoken with her?"

Gibbs didn't answer, having questions of his own. "Find Ms Wyatt's records from ten years ago. And why she changed her name. The information will be under the name Nadine DiNozzo." He left them with that final bombshell and walked away, purpose in his every step. He whipped out his phone and the last thing they heard him say as he turned the corner Tony had just left from was "Leon. We need to talk."

* * *

Tony was in the men's bathroom splashing water over his tired face when Gibbs walked in. He didn't attempt at any pretence of why he was there, just leaned against the wall and studied his agent quietly. DiNozzo, for his part, ignored Gibbs and continued to wash his face. It wasn't until he reached for a paper towel that he spoke, avoiding his mentor's eyes once again.

"I don't need a baby sitter you know," he muttered, wiping his face with the flimsy paper.

"I know. You're not a kid any more Tony."

Tony could hear the double meaning. _Things have changed. He doesn't control you anymore._ He ignored the advice and simply asked "so what are you doing here?"

"Got a few questions." Ok, so Gibbs _was_ checking up on Tony. He wasn't sure how the senior field agent was going to act in this situation after all. But he actually did need to ask some questions, so Tony didn't need to know the first part.

"Don't suppose they could wait?"

"Not really."

Tony chucked the now scrunched up paper into the bin, heading for the door as he spoke. "Well where shall we do it then? Huh? Interrogation?" His voice rose as he yanked the door open, stepping into the hallway angrily. His fuse was damned short today and it'd been hard holding it all in.

"It's not like that, Tony," said Gibbs calmly, following him out of the men's room. He watched the agent run a hand through his hair. Tony leaned against the opposite wall, trying to hold back from pacing. His hand went up to yet again rub his cheek, but Gibbs reached over and caught his wrist. He needed to snap Tony out of this. "We just need to talk."

Tony scrutinised him, the trust he held for Gibbs wavering, if only slightly. It wasn't personal - but this day was causing Tony to revert back to the habits of a 12 year old, and when Tony was 12, he didn't quite understand trust. Not like he did now.

Even so, Tony slowly lowered his hand, Gibbs letting go at the last moment. He looked down at the floor as if in trouble and murmured "alright."

Gibbs nodded and began to walk away, Tony following. He figured they were going to the conference room, though it somehow felt more like the principle's office. But the two men stopped dead in their tracks at the sound of a desperate voice.

"Tony!"

Gibbs swivelled, Tony freezing where he stood, to see Miranda Wyatt following them down the hallway, an agent following her. Jethro held in the sudden list of profanities that popped into his head. When he asked Vance to let her go, he hadn't meant for her to be paraded through the offices. Certainly not these offices.

The woman caught up to them, her bushy brown hair bouncing as she trotted over. Her eyes were wide, her face a mixture of apprehension and excitement. The guard stepped back at Gibbs' nod, allowing some privacy.

"Tony?" Miranda tried to move into Tony's line of vision. He hadn't moved since hearing her voice and his eyes remained glued to the ground. He had never been more interested in his Gucci shoes. Gibbs stood back but only slightly, watching DiNozzo warily.

"I… I really wanted to talk to you." Miranda was beginning to look a bit desperate as Tony continued to remain unresponsive. "I know we haven't really been in contact… I mean, I don't know about you but I wasn't really allowed to talk to you… Or about you…" she gave a sad kind of smile. "But, I'm here now and…" the smile evaporated and she too looked to the ground. The resemblance between them, in Gibbs' opinion, was uncanny. He almost headslapped himself for not seeing it earlier. "I need your help, Tony," she finally whispered.

Tony's head shot up and finally he looked at her. He looked curiously fearful, like a boy who wanted pat a snake but knew he shouldn't. "I'm in trouble," said Miranda quietly, looking back up and jumping slightly at suddenly being under his intense gaze. Tony stepped back, suddenly twitchy, and looked to Gibbs. Jethro's heart gave a slight lurch at the lost confusion all over his face.

Before he could do anything, however, the until now silent agent stepped over to them. "Ma'am I'm sorry, but I'm under strict instructions." He looked to Gibbs, trying not to cower under the reputation the man had. "She's supposed to leave straight away. No detours." Gibbs looked over to Tony who had rubbed his cheek again before he could be stopped, and was beginning to pace. He looked back at the young agent and nodded wordlessly. The agent nodded back, relieved, and began to escort Miranda to the elevators.

"Tony, please!" Miranda called after him, but she continued to be ushered away. Tony scrunched his eyes shut, obviously fighting some inner battle. Gibbs watched, and found he was unable to take this break down DiNozzo was having any longer. So he did the one thing he knew he could do that would actually help.

He head slapped him.

Tony looked at Gibbs. "Boss, what - "

Gibbs glared at him, silencing him with the look alone. Tony glared back, and the scene would have confused any passer by. A silent conversation passed between them, and finally Tony nodded. He rushed after Miranda and the agent. Gibbs only followed to the corner so he could see Tony slip between the closing doors of the elevator just in time.

Miranda watched Tony jump in after her, shocked. They both ignored the agent standing in the corner as Tony finally took in Miranda's - no, Nadine's appearance. He let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding and finally said in a quiet voice, "what kind of trouble?"

**Ok, I'll definately update again soon. I know not much happened here, but anyways.**

**I changed my mind about the Facebook page thing (blame my ADD) and have instead decided to get Twitter. It's actually quite fun :D I'll be talking about my fics on there, what I'm going to do next, how close I am to an update, explanations for if I won't be updating... So feel free to follow me on Twitter! I'd be very flattered. As I'm sure you can guess, my username is NerdBurga.**

**Thanks guys!**


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